1. Field of the Invention
The invention is concerned with glassy alloys and, more particularly, with glassy alloys which include the iron group elements (iron, cobalt and nickel) plus boron.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Novel amorphous (glassy) metal alloys have been disclosed and claimed by H. S. Chen and D. E. Polk in U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,513, issued Dec. 24, 1974. These glassy alloys have the formula M.sub.a Y.sub.b Z.sub.c, where M is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium and vanadium, Y is at least one element selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, boron and carbon, Z is at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, beryllium, germanium, indium, tin and silicon, "a" ranges from about 60 to 90 atom percent, "b" ranges from about 10 to 30 atom percent and "c" ranges from about 0.1 to 15 atom percent. These glassy alloys have been found suitable for a wide variety of applications, including ribbon, sheet, wire, powder, etc. Glassy alloys are also disclosed and claimed having the formula T.sub.i X.sub.j, where T is at least one transition metal, X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, beryllium, boron, germanium, carbon, indium, phosphorus, silicon and tin, "i" ranges from about 70 to 87 atom percent and "j" ranges from about 13 to 30 atom percent. These glassy alloys have been found suitable for wire applications.
At the time these glassy alloys were discovered, they evidenced mechanical properties that were superior to then-known polycrystalline alloys. Such superior mechanical properties included ultimate tensile strengths up to 350,000 psi, hardness values of about 600 to about 830 Kg/mm.sup.2 and good ductility. Nevertheless, new applications requiring improved magnetic, physical and mechanical properties and higher thermal stability have necessitated efforts to develop further specific compositions.